IOC's Karohta raises concerns over ECI's internal objections report

IOC's Somya Karohta raised concerns over reports of internal objections within the ECI on electoral roll processes. He demanded transparency and accountability, calling it a matter of democratic credibility, while Opposition parties seek the CEC's resignation.

Kazakhstan Overseas Congress Coordinator Somya Karohta (Photo/@INCOverseas)

Somya Karohta, AICC Indian Overseas Congress Coordinator for Kazakhstan, has raised serious concerns over the reported internal objections within the Election Commission of India regarding electoral-roll processes, a press release said.

According to a recent investigation by The Indian Express, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly raised formal objections at least 14 times over 10 months concerning issues including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, changes to Form 6 and access to electoral-roll data.

Somya Karohta said, “When questions are being raised from within the Election Commission itself on matters directly connected with voters and electoral rolls, the people of India deserve clear answers. This is not merely a political issue; it concerns the credibility of our democratic process.”

He further said, “The Election Commission is a constitutional institution and must remain transparent and accountable to the people. We need facts, clarity and proper explanations—not silence or ambiguity. Every eligible citizen must have confidence that their right to vote is protected.” Karohta added that the concerns reported should be addressed through appropriate institutional mechanisms.

Political Row and ECI's Stance

The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously. The remarks came amid a continuing political row over the functioning of the EC and the SIR of electoral rolls, after Opposition parties raised questions over the same and demanded accountability from CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The controversy intensified following a report that said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections multiple times over decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise. Opposition parties, including Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), have called for the CEC's resignation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also accused Kumar of "match-fixing elections" while citing a report related to the poll body.

ECI Rejects Allegations

The Election Commission of India (ECI), however, rejected the allegations and said all decisions related to the schedule of the SIR of electoral rolls were taken with the "unanimous approval of the Commission".

The ECI has maintained that the SIR process was conducted as per established procedures and that decisions related to it were taken with the approval of all members of the Commission. The poll body stated that the SIR schedule for 12 States and Union Territories was issued on October 27, 2025, while the schedule for 19 States and UTs was issued on May 14, 2026, with unanimous approval of the Commission. The ECI also clarified that the June 24, 2025 order for SIR covering all States and UTs was approved unanimously. (ANI)

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